Atharen, A Fantasy Roleplay Forum

Posted: **Tue Nov 16, 2021 8:01 pm**

16th of Ash, Year 4621 and 49th of Searing, Year 4620

...Continued From 'Starless, Part Two'

"There it is," he said, pointing out towards the horizon. The winds of the desert blew through - slowly, steadily - as they emerged from the chasm, peering out into all that was open before them: a great landscape of dry hills, low savannah and stone. They were so close to Ardinoe, but they had no need to move any closer. This was where they had wanted to go.

"Well, how about that..." Lucas whispered, chuckling beneath his breath. He settled his Chariot, tacking it to a small desert birch before standing up from the vehicle and stretching. "Mmf," he yawned. "Well, what're we gonna do, Jack? Camp out, tell stories by a fire? Just wondering what you wanted to see so badly at the Badland's edge."

The man appeared focused, his eyes dutifully peering across the distance, as if on the lookout for... something. "Daniel told me he had a hideout here," he whispered. "A hatch in the ground, somewhere beyond that chasm. Not far from the entrance, to the... northwest. Hidden around a group of rocks."

Lucas' brow rose. "A hideout? That's... odd. Must be pre-Bleeding."

"Yeah, it was," he nodded. "The hatch must be rusted to all shit. Honestly, probably just helps it blend better with the dryland. Oh--right there, could be it!" With a sudden burst of enthusiasm, the man started jogging towards the condensed group of stones, landing there in a minute or two. Lucas followed closely behind him, stopping as they came upon the rocks to hastily catch his breath.

"...Okay, you see it?"

Jack didn't answer -- not yet. He inspected them, smoothing his palm over their surface as he circled around. Lo and behold, there was a hatch. It was difficult to see; a number of smaller rocks had been dumped on top of it to further obscure it. Jack's eye caught the edge, though, a rusted bolt. "I do," he said. "C'mon, help me lift off these rocks."

The two men bent down, pulling one stone at a time, the surface of the hatch becoming more and more clear as they did. Once it was clear, Jack reached down to tug on the oval-shaped chain, gripping it steadily before bringing it upwards. "There," he said, his breathing settling. There was a ladder that led down. Glancing towards Lucas for a moment, the Weaver smoothed his way in, lowering his feet - one at a time - until they were held up by the bars. He gripped them steadily within each hand, climbing down as the other man followed.

Once they were inside, a smile smeared across Jack's lips, one that stuck with him as he looked around. A bed, some belongings; notes, instruments, and mechanical parts for his persistent interest: engineering. It was Daniel's alright - one look was all it took to know.

"Huh -- this place is nice," Lucas nodded, clapping his hands together.

"It is," said Jack. "There's somethin' I was hoping I'd find here. Daniel kept a journal, ya see -- about his life, the people around him. I want to know what he wrote... about me, about his family. I just think... it'd help bring me some closure."

Posted: **Thu Nov 18, 2021 1:07 pm**

It didn't take him long to find it, rummaging carefully through his things. Most of his books were notebooks on his engineering trade -- mathematical things, blueprints and schematics, notes on how to repair, what tools to utilize and what materials to apply in building new objects; guns, even Chariots. One of Daniel's goals was to produce new Chariots -- improved, more reliable. It was a science that had been effectively lost to time, but one that he intended to revive. If only he'd had more hours, more years... Jack knew he could've done it. He barely understood anything he'd ever said about it, but the way he grasped the concepts was so beautiful.

Near the bottom of his pile of books, he found it. 'Unbroken.' It was meant to be the story of his life -- how he'd overcome all of his hurdles, his pain. The people around him, and the way they changed his world, good and bad. The notebook was thick, but conveniently, the front pages held an index. He'd always been organized like that.

There was a chapter for Scythe, one for each of the most important members of his family... and not one, but two, for Jack. The first was about Jack himself, and their relationship. The second was about their imagined future together. As far as he was aware, Daniel had written those pages before they had agreed to marry. He wondered what he would've written, now, if he had the chance to continue that story. If he had still been alive.

"Chapter Twelve: Jack," he read aloud, pressed against the back of the steel wall, bundled against the corner with that leather-bound book open before him. "I met a man that I really like, recently. I wasn't so certain that I liked him at first, but the more his cheeky grin followed me, the more he showed me his world and dreams, the more I felt my own world could be open to such dreams. I don't know if he likes me back -- he's really handsome. Handsomer than me, though I think I might have a chance. Mindy told me he likes men -- dated that loser Anton months back. That didn't work well for either of them, but it means he's in the market. And damn, am I buying.

He smells nice. Like the sun and the golden hills beneath it, all condensed into one man. There's nothing I'd rather do than kiss him right now, hold him in my arms and feel his shape within mine. I've heard he's had a hard life; worse, even, than most around here. I wish I could make him feel okay."

Tears were in his eyes. Shaking his head, he carried on. The next page appeared to be a different entry; dated nearly two months later.

"Jack and I are together now. We went out on patrol, and somehow one thing led to the next; we were making out on the sand, my arms wrapped around his waist. The following night, we made love in my watchtower. It was... the happiest I'd ever been, in my whole life. And the moments after were just as sweet. I think it's too early to say to him, but, just for my own sake... I love this man. I think I probably always will."

Jack was sobbing, reading his words. He closed the book, unable to continue. Surrounding him, those steel walls disappeared. Lucas disappeared. Everything shifted and changed to nothing but the dunes of sand that always surrounded him, colored black and ashy, illuminated by nothing but a mangled moon.

And then, he was alone in his room, stepping away from the Engram in his mind. He approached it, pressing against the glowing red form with his fingertips, and dimming it with Junction. That way... he wouldn't need to remember. It wouldn't be so fresh in his mind. That was the right way to do it, he thought; open the memory, experience it, and then close it so that it fades. It was how he could keep himself going, so that he wasn't always... hurting so much, all the time.

His eyes opened, and he felt the emotions recede. As the memory dimmed, so too did his response to it. Like a star, it faded in the distance, no longer shining down unmistakably.

"Daniel," he said softly, shaking his head. There were a few words from that journal that he would never forget, even if he dimmed them into a bleak nothing. "I'll always love you, too."

He rose from the edge of his bed, getting slowly dressed as he prepared to leave his room. They were going on a Wurm hunt that day, but as always he was not to come. He was meant to fight against their martial opponents -- the other gangs. Jack didn't know how to fight Wurms, and he stayed away from trying. So -- what was there to do? Probably, he would spend time with Carlos, and those new members they'd picked up in Rustbucket. It seemed things were going better for them lately. He knew, though, that soon enough it would be time for him to go. He had a dying mind, and he was nearly out of time.

Amoren called. Finally, after so many years of avoiding his fate, the prominence of his looming death had made him ready to answer that call.

Posted: **Mon Dec 13, 2021 1:46 am**

XP: N/A

Magical XP: 5 (Remnant)

Pieces of Knowledge:

Remnant: Junction: Closing A Memory
Remnant: Dimming an Engram
Remnant: Experiencing lived reality through simulated memory
Investigation: Finding a hidden room
Investigation: Generic Lore 4
Climbing: Generic Lore 1

Loot: N/A

Injuries/Ailments: Early stage mageblight: Jack will vomit and defecate ethereal bile for the remainder of the season; in addition, he will need to eat more food to attain basic nutrients and energy due to corruption stewing in his body that destroys what he eats. He will also be weaker, more fatigued, and run on less stamina until the corruption is expunged.

Comments:

"Yeah, it was," he nodded. "The hatch must be rusted to all shit. Honestly, probably just helps it blend better with the dryland. Oh--right there, could be it!" With a sudden burst of enthusiasm, the man started jogging towards the condensed group of stones, landing there in a minute or two. Daniel followed closely behind him, stopping as they came upon the rocks to hastily catch his breath.

Just wanted to clarify if it’s Lucas or Daniel?

Closure, beautifully written. Wondering what long-term effect it would have on Jack, suppressing memories and emotions that way. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let me know. Enjoy your rewards!

Atharen, A Fantasy Roleplay Forum

Unbroken

Unbroken

Re: Unbroken

Re: Unbroken